


Time After Time

by Cocopops1995



Series: Are We All Lost Stars (Shiro Week 2017) [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Introspection, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, Shiro Week 2017, Sort Of, day 1: time/space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 12:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cocopops1995/pseuds/Cocopops1995
Summary: Time has always been precious to Shiro, so he always tries to spend it wisely.





	Time After Time

Shiro has always viewed time as something precious, something not to be wasted, so he always kept busy.

Of course that didn’t mean that he never took some time off. In his younger years, when all his studying and homework was done, he would make time to spend with the important people in his life. And he would always, always, make time to spend with the stars. He loved the stars, always had, and one day he would go up there and really spend time with the stars. It was the whole reason why he spent so much time studying - he was going to go to space one day. 

The first time he went up into space was probably the best time of his life. It had only been a short trip - to the moon and back, every graduated pilot’s first space trip - but he had cherished every single moment of it. 

The time before the Kerberos mission was so busy that Shiro almost couldn’t keep up. Between prepping for the mission, doing publicity stuff, and making time for Keith, Shiro barely got any time to sleep! But he still made time for the stars. Even though he had already been among them, and the time was nearing for him to spend months surrounded by them, he still never got tired of lying beneath the night sky and staring at them, eyes finding long ago memorised constellations and greeting them like the old friends they were. 

Then, finally, the time came for him to leave on the Kerberos mission. He could barely contain his excitement. 

The months spent flying to Kerberos is much busier than anticipated. Constant checks to ensure that they’re still on course, and making corrections as needed, and all the other actions that go with piloting fill up a lot of his time - and he loves it. His time is spent doing the one thing he loves, and he’s surrounded by the stars. That time is only made better by the company he has on the trip. In almost no time at all Commander Holt and his son Matt shove their way right into his heart. Soon Matt is like the little brother Shiro’s never had, and Commander Holt becomes more like a father figure than a Commander. 

They reach Kerberos, and for a little while everything is wonderful. Then the Galra come.

At first, Shiro tries to keep track of time, but it’s impossible. The Galra don’t do anything consistently - not even when it comes to feeding them. By the time he and Matt are lead to the gladiator’s arena, Shiro has no idea how much time has passed since their capture.

Then he becomes a gladiator and time loses all sense of meaning. Fights upon fights against varying, increasingly deadly opponents fly by too quickly for Shiro to really process - all his victories blur together until he can no longer tell which was the first and which the most recent. On the other hand, the stretches of time between fights stretch into the longest periods of Shiro’s life. He stares up at the dark ceiling of his cell and tries to imagine stars twinkling above him. He vows to himself that he will see them again one day, it’s only a matter of time. 

Time starts to have meaning again when he wakes in a small wooden cabin in the desert on earth. Vague memories of waking up, strapped to a medical table with people in white suits looming over him, threatening to sedate him, flash through his memory. He doesn’t remember how he got here, but there’s a pile of his old clothes lying on the foot of the bed he’s in, and he wastes no time getting rid of prisoner’s garb to slip into the first familiar thing he’s encountered in… he doesn’t know how long. 

Then he glances out of the window and sees the stars. He wastes no time getting outside, quietly making his way past the unexpected group of sleeping teenagers spread around the small living room, one of which he’s surprised to see is Keith. Once he’s pulled the door closed behind him, his eyes lock on the stars, and don’t leave them even as he walks a little ways away from the cabin. He finds all of his old friends there, and he greets them with tears in his eyes as their familiarity washes over him. He stays out there until the sun comes out and Keith comes to find him. He’s always cherished his time with the stars, but this time seems more precious than any time he’s spent with them before. 

In no time at all, he finds himself back amongst the stars. This time, flying the most magnificent craft he’s ever had the privilege to pilot. After months and months of meaningless time wasted, he’s finally spending his time doing something important again, and he’s determined not to waste another minute.

**Author's Note:**

> Like my work? Please consider [buying me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/W7W3KRCZ) :)


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